'In this subtle and insightful work, each larger-than-life image proves on close inspection to be composed of digitally produced images of the other: Christ is created from tiny figures of Buddha and the Buddha from tiny images of Christ. There are 22,500 smaller figures in each large figure. The Buddha is in fact the so-called 'Laughing Buddha', a historical figure called Budai who also became synonymous with the Future Buddha Maitreya. Budai was an eccentric pot-bellied Chinese monk easily recognisable by his enormous smile and the large cloth bag he always carried. Budai was revered as an enlightened being, detached from the cares that bind the rest of us. He became associated with Maitreya because of his supramundane character and because of a famous poem he wrote on his deathbed that implied that he was Maitreya in disguise.

In Chinese folklore, he became a symbol of good luck and prosperity. The artist Liu Xiaoxian was born in China and emigrated to Australian in the 1980s.'